What are you thinking?
Chu Xianning still held the water whip in her hand.
Jiang Huai stood under the waterfall, unmoving and unresisting, as if acknowledging his guilt and accepting punishment. Chu Xianning raised the water whip again, and every droplet seemed to be filled with sunlight as the shimmering whip landed before Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai closed his eyes in a panic, but the expected pain never came.
“Know fear now?” Chu Xianning tilted her chin slightly.
“I fear it.” Jiang Huai lowered his gaze and obediently admitted his mistake. Only then did Chu Xianning loosen her grip, and the water whip dissolved into a puddle. She turned her face away. “Get dressed, let’s go back.”
With that, Chu Xianning turned and left.
Jiang Huai quickly got dressed and ran to catch up with his slow-moving immortal master, walking by her side. A faint floral scent wafted to his nose again. It was midsummer, and the sunlight was intense. Jiang Huai lifted an oil-paper umbrella, sheltering Chu Xianning as well.
When holding an umbrella, the two people were bound to be closer. Chu Xianning pouted slightly, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance, “I’m not hot.”
“The sun is so bright and dazzling, it’s better to shield yourself,” Jiang Huai replied with righteous indignation.
Chu Xianning was always like this. When given a reason, she seemed too lazy to struggle further. Perhaps this was also due to her dislike of trouble? Jiang Huai held the umbrella and walked with her leisurely through the mountains. The surrounding grass and trees were lush. Disciples who passed by occasionally cast sideways glances, only to be captivated by Chu Xianning’s beauty, lost in a daze.
The faint floral scent that reached his nose along the way put Jiang Huai in a very good mood. Fortunately, when he made the umbrella, he had anticipated this scene. The umbrella wasn’t very large, so he had to stay close to Chu Xianning. Their bodies occasionally brushed against each other unintentionally before they quickly pulled away. Chu Xianning walked faster and faster, becoming increasingly awkward, and finally quickened her pace as if sulking. Jiang Huai followed her like a persistent puppy until they returned to the courtyard. Chu Xianning went to the pavilion, while Jiang Huai turned and walked out.
He was going to catch the spirit shrimp he raised.
Jiang Huai grew up on Guanxue Mountain, and Guanxue Mountain was vast. The entire mountain belonged to him and Chu Xianning. Therefore, he had reclaimed a large area of wasteland and dug a pond. Beneath the wasteland lay warm spirit jade, nourishing the entire land. In the pond, Jiang Huai had also thrown in several spirit jades. The small shrimp that grew in the pond absorbed the essence of the spirit jade, becoming crystal clear and plump.
Jiang Huai picked some green vegetables and caught a bamboo basket full of shrimp. The vegetables were stir-fried, and when they were tender green, they were ready to be served. The spirit shrimp were blanched, requiring only two small dishes of soy sauce. Jiang Huai liked to add a tiny bit of vinegar to the soy sauce to enhance the flavor.
He carried the shrimp and vegetables to the pavilion. Chu Xianning picked up her chopsticks and tasted a bit of the greens.
She had always been aware of Jiang Huai’s cooking skills. To this day, she still hadn’t gotten tired of it. She had been abstaining from eating for many years and had long curbed her desires, but once these desires were stirred up in recent years, they seemed impossible to stop. Desire was indeed like rolling stones on a mountain. The vegetables were crisp, refreshing, and sweet, with a perfectly balanced freshness.
Meanwhile, Jiang Huai began to peel the shrimp with his delicate hands. The peeled shrimp meat was gently placed on the plate before Chu Xianning. Chu Xianning lowered her head, glanced at him askance, “I can peel them myself.”
Jiang Huai said, then peeled another shrimp and popped it into his own mouth, adding, “Doesn’t Master dislike trouble?”
Chu Xianning picked up her chopsticks, gently picked up a piece, dipped it in a little soy sauce, and brought the pink, crystal clear shrimp to her moist, red lips. She took a small bite, and the slight frown on her brow eased.
Outside the pavilion, the sun blazed high, but inside it was cool and pleasant. When Jiang Huai was modifying the pavilion, he placed a Cold Marrow Jade on the roof. In the summer, he would activate the Cold Marrow Jade to ward off the heat. He often lay on the long bench in the pavilion and slept, while Chu Xianning sat quietly on the other side, reading a book or gazing into space.
Time seemed to gradually become distant and slow again. Jiang Huai had cooked a total of sixteen shrimp, and he had peeled them all himself, with eight for him and eight for Chu Xianning. The green vegetables on the white jade plate were all gone. Chu Xianning rested her chin on her delicate hand, her eyes gazing at the distant pond.
The lotus flowers in the pond had already bloomed, and a few dragonflies rested on the lotus leaves. Jiang Huai, having eaten his fill, had nothing to do, so he set up his easel and began to paint a picture of the lotus flowers and dragonflies before him. Chu Xianning sat quietly beside him, watching his brush strokes move and the ink leap onto the paper.
Both of them were very quiet, and the world seemed to become silent, with only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. Jiang Huai finished the painting, stamped it with his seal, and turned to look at Chu Xianning. “Isn’t Master going for her nap yet?”
Normally, Chu Xianning would have already returned to her room to rest at this time.
“I was just about to sleep.” Hearing him, Chu Xianning got up and walked towards Jiang Huai’s room, while Jiang Huai went out. He was going to Snow Lake.
…
Jiang Huai climbed the mountain for a while and lightly knocked on Real Master of Snow Spirit’s cave residence. Real Master of Snow Spirit, wearing a summer dress, opened the door. Seeing him, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to ask Real Master of Snow Spirit how the research on that formation is going.”
“It’s particularly profound, and I haven’t fully comprehended it yet. What, do you want it back?”
“Not at all. It’s just that I happened to find another formation diagram a while ago, but I don’t understand its deeper meaning, so I wanted to ask Real Master of Snow Spirit to take a look.”
Jiang Huai took out a formation diagram. Real Master of Snow Spirit took it and her eyes deepened. Jiang Huai had taken out an Absolute Level formation diagram, which was a rare treasure. With the formation diagram, one could comprehend its deeper meaning, especially since it was drawn so meticulously. However, the formation diagram looked too new. Could it be that a senior with profound formation cultivation had drawn it recently?
“Where did you get this formation diagram?”
“A while ago, I met a senior. I treated him to a drink, and he gave me this, telling me I could exchange it for money with someone knowledgeable.”
“This formation diagram is indeed very valuable. If you plan to sell it, I can give you thirty thousand spirit stones.”
“Talking about money is too vulgar. That senior said the formation diagram was just a return for treating him to a drink, so…”
Real Master of Snow Spirit glanced at him faintly. It was strange, she wasn’t surprised at all. When Jiang Huai knocked on the door, she always felt he had ulterior motives. She looked at the formation diagram in her hand again. “Speak. What do you want?”
“I’ve heard that Real Master of Snow Spirit has collected many fine wines, among which the Clear Bamboo Wine, nurtured in thousand-year-old emerald jade bamboo, is the most famous. I wonder…”
“Absolutely not.” Real Master of Snow Spirit immediately interrupted Jiang Huai. “I only have three barrels left. Every time I drink one, there’s one less. Your formation diagram is indeed exquisite, but it’s not enough to buy my Clear Bamboo Wine.”
“Shall I add some spirit stones?”
“Not selling.”
Real Master of Snow Spirit certainly put on airs of a senior. Jiang Huai scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then, as if by magic, took out another formation diagram. “I have another different formation diagram here. Take a look…?”
Real Master of Snow Spirit glanced at him sideways. Although she was already tempted, these last three barrels of Clear Bamboo Wine were her treasures, and she planned to drink them alone when she was in a good mood. So, she stated a condition that would completely discourage Jiang Huai. “Unless you produce ten more, we’re not talking.”
“Don’t rush.”
Jiang Huai began to rummage through his storage space. After a while, he actually took out ten formation diagrams. Real Master of Snow Spirit was stunned, her eyes widening slightly. Then, she crossed her arms and stared at him intently. “Even an Absolute Level formation master would expend great effort to draw one formation diagram. You might as well tell me honestly, where did you get these formation diagrams?”
“I have a genius friend. At a young age, he touched the threshold of Absolute Level. He’s usually idle, so when he studies formations, he draws quite a few… But he always prefers to keep a low profile and fears attracting attention. Therefore, he asked me to keep his identity secret. I hope Real Master of Snow Spirit can understand.”
Real Master of Snow Spirit took the formation diagrams from Jiang Huai and examined them one by one. All of them were Absolute Level formations. Although some had minor flaws, the flaws did not overshadow their merits. These ten formation diagrams had already greatly tempted her. However, she still couldn’t help but haggle. “One barrel of Clear Bamboo Wine.”
“Then you’ll have to add three Snow Spirit Fish.”
“Deal.”
Jiang Huai let out a long sigh of relief.
These formation diagrams were drawn when he was studying formations earlier. He drew over a dozen at once. His original intention was not to sell them for money, but to study formations. On the path of formations, he had always explored alone, without any master to guide him. But if Real Master of Snow Spirit knew how he studied them, she would probably be shocked.
Formations are not easily drawn. Many formation masters, while drawing during the process, could easily become lost in their minds, becoming entangled in the formations for a long time before breaking free. Therefore, casually drawing unfamiliar formations is extremely dangerous… But Jiang Huai never knew this was dangerous and never felt any obstacles. At most, it consumed some mental energy and made him a bit tired.
Soon, Jiang Huai received the barrel of Clear Bamboo Wine from Real Master of Snow Spirit. He then happily went to Snow Lake. He watched Real Master of Snow Spirit personally retrieve three Snow Spirit Fish for him with a pained expression. He put all of these into his storage backpack, then headed to the Sect Master’s mansion and gently knocked.
“Is the Sect Master in?” Jiang Huai quietly pushed open the door. The door immediately swung open, and he saw Li Qiushan sitting before a chessboard at that moment. Li Qiushan was wearing a Daoist robe. When he wasn’t angry, his expression was kindly. Jiang Huai had visited the Sect Master occasionally before, as the Sect Master had always treated him very well, prioritizing him with good resources. However, he had crippled his cultivation, disappointing the Sect Master’s good intentions.
“Why are you here, kid?” Li Qiushan’s white beard trembled slightly.
The last time they spoke was when Jiang Huai was rescued from the evil cultivator’s lair. Jiang Huai had knelt before him and admitted his mistake. He was indeed furious, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to punish Jiang Huai at all. He wasn’t truly angry with Jiang Huai, but felt pity… As the Sect Master, if he could see a disciple from his sect shine brightly in the Eastern Region in the future, the entire sect would naturally benefit. But now, all of it was like a reflection in water, a flower in the mirror. He had no other recourse but pity.
“I just caught something good in Snow Lake, so I wanted to bring it to the Sect Master.” Jiang Huai carried a Snow Spirit Fish to the Sect Master and sat down. Li Qiushan looked at him, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
“What wine are you trying to trick me into drinking this time?”
